June 01, 2021

Media Advisory – SIU Carbondale Summer Camps June 7-18

Southern Illinois University Carbondale is hosting a wide variety of camps for children and youths of all ages this summer. The camps offer great opportunities for reporters, photographers and news crews to get engaging activity stories, photographs and video.

Conference and Scheduling Services and Touch of Nature Environmental Center coordinate most of the camps, while Saluki Athletics and other units on campus handle the rest.

Several options for capturing good summer camp stories take place June 7-18.

Media opportunities the second week of June

Here is the schedule of camps that will take place June 7-11, The listing includes a brief description of each activity, opportune times to obtain appealing stories, photographs or video, and contact information.

There are three camps for various age groups taking place from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. June 7-11 at Touch of Nature Environmental Center, located about eight miles south of Carbondale on Giant City Road. For more information, or to arrange a visit to any of these camps, contact Erik Oberg or Brian Croft at 618-453-1121 or tonec@siu.edu, or Pat Jones at  618-453-3947

or 618-521-9455.

  • Enchanted Forest Day Camp – Children ages 4-7 will discover the natural world through activities involving special magical creatures including gnomes, dragons, fairies, unicorns and explorers.
  • Big Buzz Day Camp – Youngsters ages 7-10 will enjoy learning about the vital role pollinators play in the environment as they study birds, butterflies, bats, beetles and bees in the ecosystem and they will also make projects.
  • Youth in the Wild Day Camp – Youths ages 10-13 will find out what it takes to live in the woods, from building shelters, to reading maps, following trails, finding food and more.

More SIU camps that week include:

  • Saddle Up – This new camp will give youths in grades 6-8 the chance to learn about horses and horse care and careers in the equine industry in addition to riding. Media are welcome to come to the SIU Equine Center from 10 to 11 a.m. on June 10 as the campers enjoy horseback riding and games. Contact Erin Perry at 573-489-0291 or perry@siu.edu, or Sam Wuest at 618-978-4976 or swuest@siu.edu for more information.  
  • Junior Aviator III – Pilots – This new camp introduces children in grades 1-3 to the world of flight. Participants will doing weather and flight planning, checkout various types of aircraft, look at airports and maps and do other hands-on activities. The camp is from 8:45 a.m. to noon on June 11 in the multipurpose rooms at the Transportation Education Center. For details contact Lorelei Ruiz at 618-319-2440 or lemiller@siu.edu or Steve Goetz at 618-453-8898 or sgoetz@siu.edu.

Additional media opportunities coming the third week of June

SIU offers more interesting camps for media to cover the week of June 14-18, including:

  • Baseball Camp – Media are welcome to cover the camp between 8 a.m. and noon, June 14-18, as youths participate in drills and other activities at Abe Martin Field. For additional information, contact Ben Brewer at salukibaseball@siu.edu or Lance Rhodes at rhodes@siu.edu.
  • Summer Wings –One of SIU’s most popular camps, this is a weeklong opportunity for high school students to experience flight. Participants will go through aircraft preflight preparations and take to the skies, weather permitting, at 9:30 a.m. on June 15, at 4 p.m. on June 16 and at 9:30 a.m. on June 17. For additional details, contact Lorelei Ruiz at 618-319-2440 or lemiller@siu.edu or Steve Goetz at 618-453-8898 or sgoetz@siu.edu.

Touch of Nature will also be hosting four day camps during the week of June 14-18, each running from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. and each welcoming a different age group.  For more information, or to schedule a visit to any of the camps, contact Erik Oberg or Brian Croft at 618-453-1121 or tonec@siu.edu or Pat Jones at  618-453-3947

or 618-521-9455.

The Touch of Nature camp lineup for June 14-18 includes:

  • Forest Explorers Day Camp – Children ages 4-7 will explore all of the nooks and crannies at Touch of Nature, discovering all of the creatures and plant life found there.
  • Camp Campout Day Camp – Youngsters ages 7-10 will enjoy day hikes and camping excursions, including pitching a tent, fishing, and more while practicing Leave No Trace principles.
  • Aquatic Adventure Day Camp – Youths ages 10-13 will explore the Little Grassy Lake watershed, uncovering the lake’s mysteries, enjoying water-based games and discovering aquatic life. They will learn to canoe, kayak and stand-up paddleboard, enjoy pontoon boat rides and find out how to protect the valuable natural resource.
  • River to River Zipline Adventures Camp – Teens 13-16 will explore nature on back country trails and from the air as they zip line and hike their way around the famous River to River region.